How often we get mired down in a litany of small issues that eke their invasive tendrils through the tidy garden of our thoughts. The result is a tangled mess where even the most beautiful aspects of our lives begin to resemble gnarled weeds.

When I find myself in this negative state of mind, I pause to recall an old Ojibway saying,

"Sometimes I go about pitying myself and all the while a great wind is bearing me across the sky."

When I remind myself of this saying, a warm tingling sensation spreads across my upper back and the worries of my day begin to recede. I suddenly feel more fortunate than words could adequately describe.

We are in an age where information is multiplying at a faster rate than our brains are able to adequately process.

This mass of information leads us down a path enshrouded in fog where we gradually lose sight of those things that should matter the most.

In order to achieve our goals, we require focus.

Focus is a key element to success in every process or end point we are working on. Understanding this enables us to lead a more fulfilling life both personally and professionally.

In today's hectic world, it's not always an easy task to stay focussed. There are, however, a number of things we can do to help us stay on track.

Written Goals and Plans - Having written goals, and plans to achieve those goals, helps to set our internal 'accomplishment mechanism', better known as our subconscious, to work for us. This is a very easy way to help us on the path to staying focused.

Remove Distractions - Staying focused is much easier when there are no distractions. This is something usually within our own control. We have the ability to control the environment in which we work and play to a certain degree.

Accountability - Having accountability partners in our lives helps us to stay focused on the end goals or on the those things we should be focusing on in our lives. An accountability partner could be a spouse, friend, family member, business associate or even a group to which we belong.

Maintaining Good Personal Health - There's an old saying , "If you have your health, you have everything". If we're not feeling well or are facing a serious illness, it's extremely hard to stay focused on anything other than the discomfort we're experiencing. Have a plan for good health maintenance and stick to it as much as possible.

Declutter - When it comes to decluttering, we have to address not only our physical environments, but also our mental and emotional environments. If there are outstanding issues you should be facing, don't put them on hold. It may be difficult to bring them out into the open and discuss them with the appropriate party, however by not discussing them and failing to reach some resolution, our minds will be unable to properly focus on those things we should be focusing on.

Commit - I wrote a post awhile back called The Power of Commitment; if you have a problem with commitment, please read it.

Live with Purpose and Passion - On the same lines as commitment, living a life filled with purpose and passion ensures being able to be focus on those things that matter to us, both in our business and in our personal lives. We know when we are doing what we should be doing because it is at those times that we lose ourselves and are able to completely focus in an effortless way. Find your passion and follow it.

Take Regular Breaks - No matter what you are trying to accomplish, it is important to take regular breaks to refresh your body, mind and spirit. Taking breaks applies to both our short term lives and our long term lives. Schedule regular holidays for yourself every 2-3 months, depending on how hard you are working on a weekly basis.

Practice Meditation - Learning how to meditate teaches us how to have a disciplined mind wherein we are able to totally focus on whichever we want to focus at will. Meditation classes can be found in most communities now and many of them are free.

Complete One Thing at a Time - Don't leave jobs undone. When starting on one job, make sure you see it through to completion. After completing a job, you will feel energized and will experience a rise in self-esteem and well-being. All of these contribute to your focusing power for the accomplishment of future goals.

Success in any aspect of our lives comes down to mastering the art of focusing.

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